Boater Loses 2 Passengers Out For a Swim off Cape May, Coast Guard Rescues

Two swimmers were rescued about a hundred yards off the shore in Cape May last night after a boater lost sight of the passengers after they'd entered the ocean for an evening swim.

The boater notified the Coast Guard around 6:45 p.m. when he lost sight of two of his boat passengers who had gone in the ocean for a swim. The boater said the 18-year-old male and 19-year-old female were both very strong swimmers but that he couldn't find them.

The Coast Guard Cape May crew responded to the distress call and discovered the two swimmers waving their arms north of the jetties about 100 yards from shore around 7:30 p.m.

"Even for a strong swimmer, things like fatigue, a cramp and rip currents can be very dangerous and sometimes deadly. We recommend never swimming in the ocean without a life jacket or too far from shore without a safe place to rest if needed," says Cape May crew member Steven Buckner, Petty Officer 2nd Class.

Both swimmers declined medical attention.